A HANDBOOK OF THE FIGHTING RACES OF INDIA

A detailed review of the Native Army intended to give the raw British officer an indication of the fighting material and capabilities of the Indian Army after the Presidency armies were abolished in 1895. The races discussed in the book are: Pathans, Baluchis, Punjabi Mahomedans, Sikhs, Gurkhas, Dogras, Jats, Aboriginal Tribes, Garhwalis, Hindustani Mahomedans, Rajputs, Mahrattas, Fighting race of South India and Miscellaneous Tribes. This is the standard work on the subject containing much of value on the so-called martial races.\nFrom the late nineteenth century, the Martial Race theory shaped the recruitment policy. It outlined that some Indian men, because of their \u2018caste\u2019 or ethnic group affiliations, were more \u2018suitable\u2019 soldiers and should be targeted for recruitment. Within the British Indian Army, the \u2018martial\u2019 groups included Gurkhas (mostly from Nepal) and Sikhs and Muslims from Punjab. With certain modifications, this theory remained ope.